House Rules
by chocolatequeen
Summary: When Jackie catches the Doctor and Rose snogging in her kitchen, she lays down a few house rules. Part of As Time Goes By, following In My Arms Again.


Caught kissing for gingergallifreyan

The Doctor thought he'd been very patient. More than patient, even. English didn't have a stronger word than patient, but he knew thousands of languages. He could find the right word. And…

Rose sighed and brushed a damp strand of hair back from her face, and the Doctor felt his mouth go dry. She was flushed from the heat in the small kitchen, and he stared at her for a few moments, trying to remember what he'd been thinking about.

Ah. Yes. He was patient. Patient-est. Though watching Rose cook this afternoon had severely tested his patience. Her hair was still in the braids he'd done for her when Jackie called. Remembering why she'd needed him to do her hair made him want to see her on their bed again, with her hair fanned out around her. That was the way she'd looked when the phone rang, and nothing short of a family emergency could have convinced him to leave their room.

He was seconds from sweeping her up into his arms and carrying her to bed when she reached for a timer and set it for thirty minutes. "Mum should be getting home just as the shepherd's pie comes out of the oven."

Right. They weren't on the TARDIS. They were in the flat. That's why he was being patient. Jackie still didn't know they were together, and he rather liked not being slapped.

Jackie had been at work when they'd gotten back from handling the Absorbaloff, and Rose had insisted on making tea while they waited. He'd tried to help, but she'd banished him from the kitchen after he'd tried to correct her recipe to what he _knew_ was the authentic version.

Instead, he'd had to watch from a distance as her hair curled around her face and her cheeks turned a lovely pink, his excellent memory conjuring other activities that gave her the same look.

The Doctor pushed off from the doorframe, his hands in his pockets, as if that would deter him from touching her. "Am I allowed in the kitchen now that your woefully inauthentic shepherd's pie is in the oven?"

Rose arched an eyebrow, and his hearts sped up. "Better watch it, or you won't be getting any."

"Rose Tyler!" Patience finally spent, he crossed the room and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Was that an innuendo?"

She placed her hands on his lapels and looked up at him through her eyelashes. "That depends. What's the penalty for innuendo these days?"

The Doctor's gaze zeroed in on her tongue, teasing him as she swiped it over her bottom lip, and what remained of his patience evaporated. He swooped down and pressed his lips to hers. Her tongue was running along his lip now, and he sucked it into his mouth.

Rose sighed into the Doctor's kiss. She'd felt the heat in his gaze as he'd watched her from the doorway, and though she had no idea why he found her cooking so attractive, she'd hadn't cared as long as he kissed her.

His hand slid beneath the hem of her top and splayed out over her back, encouraging her to arch against him. Rose carded her fingers through his hair, pulling a groan from the Doctor when she scraped her nails against his scalp.

"Oi! Not in my kitchen!"

Jackie's screech nearly stopped Rose's heart, and she jumped back from the Doctor. His reaction time was a little slower than hers, and she stumbled slightly when his hand was still under her shirt. They untangled themselves quickly and turned to look at her mum.

"Jackie!" the Doctor squeaked. He ran his hand through his hair. "We were just… that is…"

"Snogging," Jackie said, her voice flat. She narrowed her eyes at him and put her hands on her hips. "You were snogging, in my kitchen. And you better not have been thinking about doing anything else, you bloody alien, either in the kitchen or anywhere else in the flat."

"Mum," Rose groaned.

Jackie turned to glare at her. "Don't even try to tell me you're not like that, young lady, not when he just had his tongue down your throat." She held her hands up. "I don't want explanations, and Lord knows I don't want details."

Rose rubbed at her forehead and eyed the Doctor nervously. It didn't get much more domestic than this, and she had no idea how he would react. His gaze seemed fixed on the light, and a knot tightened in her stomach.

"What _do_ you want, Mum?" she asked, trying to keep her voice even.

She watched her mum's gaze dart between herself and the Doctor several times before finally settling on her. "I just want you to be happy, sweetheart," she said plaintively.

The Doctor swung his head 'round to look at Rose, finally, his eyes wide and a deep furrow in the middle of his forehead. Rose clasped his hand and squeezed and watched the frown smooth out.

"I am, Mum. I'm so happy." The Doctor relaxed and smiled back at her, and she realised it hadn't been the domestics that had upset him, but the idea that her mum's disapproval might scare her off. She arched an eyebrow and hoped he understood her silent reminder— _I'm never going to leave you._

Her mum wheeled on the Doctor and jabbed her finger into his chest, interrupting their private conversation. "Then you listen to me. You might be an alien, but if I hear you've done something to hurt my daughter, I'll find you and give you a slap the old you with big ears will feel. Am I clear?"

"Yep!" The Doctor nodded vigorously and tugged on his ear. "Absolutely, perfectly clear. Crystal, even."

"Good. Then here are the house rules." She ticked them off on her fingers as she listed them. "I'll allow a quick peck or hug, but you keep your hands and tongue to yourself—both of you. And lastly, no shagging in the flat."

The Doctor was bright red, and Rose knew she matched him. "Mum!" she hissed. "I'm twenty-two."

"You're twenty-two, and this is still my flat," her mum said, unwavering. "I don't care what you get up to in that box of yours, but as long as you're in my home, you'll follow my rules."

"That's fair," the Doctor said before Rose could argue any further.

Jackie blinked, but after staring at him for a few seconds, she nodded. "Then I'm going to put my things away, if I can trust the two of you to finish getting the meal ready without any further shenanigans."

The corners of the Doctor's mouth twitched, but he nodded solemnly. "You have my word."

They stood silently as Jackie picked up her purse and shopping bag and disappeared into her room. Then the Doctor let out a slow breath.

"Well. That went better than I thought it would."

" _Better?_ " Rose echoed, her eyes wide. "What were you expecting, if that was better?"

The Doctor rubbed at his cheek. "An almighty Jackie Tyler slap." He started to reach for Rose, but shoved his hands into his pockets instead when he remembered the rules. "Rose, I don't think you appreciate the miracle that just occurred here. Your mother found out about us, and I am still alive."

A giggle escaped Rose, then another, and soon, she was leaning against the counter, laughing until tears streamed down her face.

"That's not the way I wanted to tell her," she said when she could speak again. "But I'm glad she knows." The tip of Rose's tongue peeked through her teeth, and she winked at the Doctor. "I wasn't sure how much longer I could pretend that we're just mates."

The Doctor swallowed hard. "Quite right," he said, his voice raspy. "Though I'd like to point out that following the house rules would be easier if you weren't intent on teasing me."

Rose grabbed his tie and pushed herself up onto her toes so she could whisper into his ear. "Oh, Doctor. It's only teasing if I don't plan to follow through." She sashayed back a few steps when the Doctor reached for her. "If you can get through the next hour without breaking Mum's rules, I promise I'll reward your patience when we get home."

Without waiting for a response, she turned to the sink and started washing the dishes she'd used to prepare the meal. The Doctor stared at her for a few minutes while he waited for his heart rates to go back to normal. Then he sauntered over to her and leaned down to whisper in her ear, smirking when his breath caused goosebumps to spread across her skin.

"I hope you're prepared to keep that promise, love. There isn't even a word in English that conveys how patient I am."

He was close enough to hear her breathing stutter, and he knew she was seconds from turning around and snogging the breath out of him, rules or no.

"I'd better not come in there and find the two of you snogging again."

Jackie's threat broke the tension in the kitchen, and they both burst out laughing once more. "You have my word, Jackie," the Doctor called back. "Absolutely no snogging."


End file.
